The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the first international convention on child rights was signed in 1989 and has led to great progress in safeguarding human rights of the children. It has resulted in major changes in laws to ensure better protection for children and has even altered the manner in which international organizations see their work for children. The Convention has also resulted in better protection of children in situations of armed conflict. To mark the 30th year of the CRC, the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research’s (NALSAR) Centre for Child and Youth Justice, in collaboration with UNICEF, and Enhelion (Academic Sponsor), organized the first International Humanitarian Law and Child Rights moot to encourage students to deliberate on the intersection between these two areas.

With an overwhelming number of applications for the assessment rounds, the top 15 teams qualified for the oral rounds that were held at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad on the 13^thand 14^thof April, 2019. The format of the competition saw teams in individual as well as group simulations representing various state as well as non-state actors. The unique format of the competition as well as the experience that the judges brought to the panel equipped the different participating institutions with the requisite international humanitarian law and child rights knowledge.

The competition saw teams from 3 different countries qualify: India, Bangladesh and South Africa. To judge the oral rounds of the competition experienced professionals from India, Sri Lanka, Singapore as well as the United States of America were invited. The maiden edition of the competition saw Jindal Global Law School as winners, National University of Study and Research in Law as First Runners Up, and Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad as Second Runners Up.

The Competition was organized by a Core Committee of NALSAR students comprising of Harsh Mahaseth (the Competition Director), P. Avinash Reddy and Ayushi Bansal. This competition was the first of its kind in Asia.